Keepsake
by Culverin
Summary: With the Whitebeard Pirates' forces decimated, there is nothing to stop the terrors of the Grand Line from falling into Remnant. Marco returns there so that he can fulfill a promise he and their father made long ago.
1. Prologue

"Are you sure about this, Marco?" Izo stood there, daunted by his statement. "We don't know what lies past that mist. At the very least, take one of us with you."

"Yeah! We can't just let our First Division Commander go in there by himself!" argued Jozu. But despite all their complaints, Marco stood firm.

"No… I have to do this alone." The mist danced in front of their ship, just waiting for him to enter. "When the Whitebeard pirates were just beginning, only pops and I ventured beyond that mist. The old man really shook things up there. It was a hell of an adventure!" He laughed, memories of the world beyond returning to him. His smile collapsed as his next words formed. "And… we promised we'd come back."

"Oh… I see." said Izo. And as much as they hated it, the rest of the Division Commanders understood Marco's obligations to their father.

"Besides, someone has to protect the old man's homeland while I'm gone. Especially now that Blackbeard's invaded." Just thinking about that bastard made his insides boil.

"Yeah. Just leave it to us Marco." Rakuya tightened his fist around the chain of his flail, ready to fight. Then again, when wasn't he? "Safe travels, my friend."

"Thanks." And with that, a blue flame erupted around both of his arms, before wrapping themselves across his entire body. Within seconds, the man whose friends often 'mistook' him for a pineapple transformed into a majestic phoenix.

With one flap he took into the air. He glanced behind him, watching in sorrow as his fellow crew members waved him goodbye from the ship. He steeled himself, and launched himself forward into the silver mist, returning to the world of Remnant.


	2. 1-1 Rebirth

"MEN, RETREAT! PROVIDE COVER FIRE FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT FLEE!" screamed the commander.

This whole thing had been one huge disaster. The village sent out a large regiment of troops in order to hunt down a nest of Grimm; a strategic maneuver in order to prevent the nest from getting the first strike. What a mistake that had been.

They should never have assumed there was only one nest. With the regiment busy dealing with that, what was left of their forces had no choice but to try and defend the village from the onslaught of Grimm.

Emphasis on 'try'.

Beowolves bit into the limbs of their troops, tearing straight through their aura. Nevermores launched a flurry of feathers from above, piercing through anyone who wasn't lucky. Despite their best efforts, the dark horde had gotten the best of them. It was a bloodbath.

The commander pulled a bleeding soldier away, only for a feather to shoot straight into his stomach. Dammit. He already called for backup from the kingdoms, but there was no telling how long they would take. There was no way they could evacuate the entire village; they'd have to try and hold out for as long as possible. And that meant pulling out anyone from the village who could hold a sword. He bit his lip at the thought.

"Commander! What's that up there?!" shouted one of his soldiers. He looked up to the sky, and witnessed a flock of Nevermore vicious screeching at them. It wasn't like they weren't obvious.

Wait. Was something wrong with his vision? One of them looked blue.

"It's a bird! No, it's a plane!"

"No, it IS a bird you dumbass! How the hell is that a plane?!"

Their argument became but a blur in his mind as the bird soared closer. To their combined shock and awe, it swooped straight towards a Nevermore. Then, with several consecutive swipes, instantly diced it with its flaming talon. Yes, flaming. It had occurred to the commander that this bird was indeed on fire.

The mysterious bird repeated this with the other Nevermores, slicing them up with impossible speed. The beowolves and boarbatusks glanced above them, curious as to why bits of their airborne brethren were falling to the ground in tiny bits.

Said Grimm had little time to react as the avian creature burst towards the ground in an explosion of flame. The commander shielded his eyes from the dust kicked up from his impact. From the cracks between his fingers he could see Grimm of all kinds launched in several directions just from his landing.

But it didn't end there. The phoenix rose from the dust, and soared. With its mighty talons it sliced up any Grimm that came near. Beowolves growled, and launched themselves at it, trying to get a bite out of its feathers. They did little; the flame seemed to fill in whenever its body took damage. At one point the phoenix found its head in the mouth of a beowulf, only for him to shake it off and slice him up.

Before long the phoenix had utterly decimated the entirety of the force of Grimm. The blue phoenix landed in the center of the scene, surrounded by the vanishing corpses of the dark horde. The soldiers stood there speechless, uncertain as to whether they should cheer for it or be wary. To the commander's surprise, it turned in his direction.

The creature flapped again, landing in front of him. His survival instincts forced him to stay on his guard, but he couldn't help but be curious as the phoenix draped one wing over the bleeding soldier he tried to pull out. The phoenix stayed like that for a few seconds, before retracting its wing and flying off. As it vanished across the horizon, he heard the soldier cough.

"Huh…? What happened?" The commander immediately rushed over and wiped away the bloodstains. Yet oddly enough the wound in his stomach wasn't there. Almost like it vanished completely.

What on Remnant was that thing?

* * *

Ozpin meshed his fingers between each other as he examined the scroll placed before him. 'Blue Nevermore-Sized Bird Sighted At Bishkuun Village' it read.

"Well, whaddya think?" said Qrow as he retracted his scroll.

"Well, I think it's time we all stopped taking fairy tales for granted." He sipped out of his mug. "After all, a lot of those stories-"

"End up being true, yeah yeah yeah. I get it. You're getting way too predictable these days, Oz." Qrow leaned against his desk, much to Glynda's dismay. "There's no way this could be a Semblance. So unless there's another fairy tale beside the Four Maidens…"

"What Qrow means…" Glynda barged in, using her telekinesis to levitate Qrow away from the desk. "...is whether or not there's something you know and we don't." When she said we, no doubt she was referring to her, Qrow, and the other authoritarian figure standing before him. "Especially now that the situation has become very delicate with the arrival of that man."

"Glynda's right, Ozpin." Ironwood kept his hands planted firmly behind his back. "The first thing we need to do is ascertain whether it's a friend or foe."

At first Ozpin didn't reply. Instead he swiveled around in his chair, gazing beyond the clocktower, and the horizon leaning above the city of Vale.

"I've… had an interesting youth." he admitted. "My ability to suppress my curiosity was severely limited. But as time passed, I became glad for it. I happened to stumble across two interesting men trying to find their way home."

"During our journey together they told me of many wonderful tales. Tales of a grand sea, where people of different sizes and species roamed freely. An era of dreams, if you will, set in by one man, whose name reverberated across that entire sea. The tale of how one man will prove himself worthy of standing on top of the world."

"Sounds fascinating." commented Qrow.

"Fascinating indeed." Ozpin turned back to face them. "So fascinating that… Summer considered going with them."

Qrow froze upon hearing that. Before he could ask about it more, something caught his eye in the distance.

"LOOK OUT!" he warned, as Ironwood and Glynda pulled out their respective weapons. But as the blue figure approached them, in contrast Ozpin simply pressed a button under his desk. The window unrolled in response, until a cold breeze swept the room.

All of them sans Ozpin kept their weapons trained on the massive bird as it flew inside, landing in the center of the room. To their surprise the blue flames vanished into the air, revealing a blond human in a purple jacket.

"Yo, Ozpin." He waved. "Nice timing on the window. I almost broke it again."

Ozpin chuckled at his response as his cohorts looked at him in shock. "Indeed. Welcome back, my friend." His expression took a stoic turn. "Where might Newgate be?"


	3. 1-2 Turbulent Tides

The tower of Beacon stood high and proud. However, if one looked closely, they would notice two figures perched on top of the tower, free from any strife that may come their way. Or at least, that was how these two usually felt whenever they spoke on this particular rooftop. For they both felt the strife lingering in their hearts.

"...I see," said Ozpin, after digesting everything his longtime friend told him. "I'm… very sorry to hear that."

"Yeah." Marco flapped his wings, countering the chilly winds with his Flames of Resurrection. "It really sucks. Pops promised to bring our crew here one day to share our adventures. I was really looking forward to that day."

"Your father was a great man." complimented Ozpin. "If anything, him being a pirate is nothing more than a title. Time and time again during our travels, I would witness his honorable side. Something I wish the marines of your world could understand." Ozpin removed his monocles, to clean them. Marco saw the tears forming in his eyes, but it was better not to comment on something like that.

"Thanks, Oz." Marco smiled. "You know, aside from getting gray hairs, you haven't changed much."

"Oh, I beg to differ." Ozpin chuckled as he replaced his monocles. "I was quite an upstart youth. Often I would let my feelings dictate my actions. I can't possibly count the number of mistakes I've made during my lifetime."

"I'm not talking about that." Marco looked towards the sky, observing the crows hovering in the distance. "Our pops was such a stingy guy, you know. He'd knock down your walls if it meant getting another sip of booze. He'd never treat you to meals even though you'd do the same for him. Yet despite all that, you'd just nod your head and go along with it." Just thinking about it elicited a course of laughter from the both of them. "Jozu would have chipped off part of his armor to have you as a mediator aboard the Moby Dick."

"Jozu?" His head lit up in remembrance. "Ah yes, the fellow who can turn his skin to diamond. The big brother of the group, correct?"

"Yeah. Can't say his memory's half as good as yours, though." Another course of laughter erupted from them, although Ozpin's was much more lukewarm. As their laughter died down, the chilling winds seemed to become louder. "Sorry I couldn't bring them here, Oz. But we had to protect what pops left behind. Our forces were decimated from the Grudge War, and… it's just one big mess, Oz."

"You needn't apologize for something like that, my friend. And you can't stress over something like this either. I'm willing to help any way I can." Good old Oz. When Marco first met him, he brushed him off as another authoritarian figure. But over time he could see just how kind he was, even towards pirates. It was another one of his traits that he greatly appreciated.

Which made him feel even more guilty when he realized just how much he failed him.

"I appreciate it Oz, but there's something I actually wanted to discuss. Now that our forces have been diminished, the Whitebeard Pirates are no longer able to guard the gateway between the Grand Line and Remnant."

"I believed you are referring to the Shattered Mist, correct?" inferred Ozpin.

"Yeah, that. We promised that we'd protect Remnant from the terrors of the Grand Line, but…" Marco swallowed the lump in his throat. It pained him to say something like this. "...it looks like we'll have to double back on that promise too, Oz. There's no way I can apologize for this."

"Like I said, you needn't apologize. If anything, you've done a remarkable job defending our world." Ozpin said with a confident smile. "But you are correct. This situation is indeed urgent. My friend got intel on a certain man working with the White Fang."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Indeed." Ozpin reached into his coat pocket, surprising his friend when he pulled out a scroll instead of a transponder snail. Something he'd have to get used to while he was here. "He's bolstered their forces significantly. Fortunately, they are unaware of his uncanny origins, however, if the Yonkou are as powerful as you say, then it's best if this threat is dealt with as soon as possible."

Marco gazed at the scroll, squinting as he read the headline: '15 Foot Woman Lays Waste To Schnee Mining Regiment, At Least 54 Found Dead'. Below it was a photo of her backside, though the only notable feature was her yellow scarf, which covered most of the photo.

"Oddly enough, the deceased either were found completely dehydrated or cut into several pieces," explained Ozpin. Marco took this all in, but at this point, he had a very good idea of who the culprit was. "Might you know this individual?"

"Yeah. Never seen her face to face, but if you're a sailor on the Grand Line, chances are, you know who this is. I don't know why she of all people would be here though." Marco grimaced. He only got here, but it looked as though things were already going to be rough.

"Who is she?" Ozpin's expression turned curious. Marco recalled her wanted poster very well. With a bounty of 932,000,000 berries, she was a force to be reckoned with, and anyone who dared face her would literally have the life squeezed out of them. The only people stronger and more terrifying were her older brother and mother.

"She's the 14th daughter of the Charlotte Family and one of her captain's most renowned commanders. Charlotte Smoothie."


	4. 1-3 Turning Tides

Pyrrha thrust Miló forward, stabbing it straight into the stomach of what would hopefully be the last Grimm. With a kick of her heel, she sent the Beowulf into a tree. It wasn't long before its body started disintegrating.

She looked around her, observing that her leader had done a wonderful job of taking out the remaining Grimm. Although it was just a small nest of Beowolves, it was nice to see that Jaune was making progress combat-wise. Their black bodies lay scattered across the entire forest clearing, black smoke emanating off their frozen corpses.

"I think that's the last of them." declared their team leader, Jaune.

"Indeed it was. You did a wonderful job, Jaune." That should boost his morale a bit.

"Thanks, Pyrrha." Jaune sheathed his sword. "Let's go before-"

"Pardon me." Jaune turned to his left, surprised at the new voice. His surprise increased tenfold when he turned to witness just how bafflingly tall she was. In fact, he didn't even reach up to her thigh.

Less baffling was her choice of clothing, although it was still enough to catch them off guard. Their mysterious newcomer donned a pink leotard covered by a yellow scarf. On her head was an oversized beret which apparently doubled as a cap, though it did manage to compliment her silver hair rather well.

Jaune stood there baffled while Pyrrha gripped her weapons tight. They weren't sure how to assess this, was she an enemy? Or was she a Huntress clearing out Grimm? One thing was for sure though: never in the history of Remnant could they recall a Huntress with such disproportionately long legs.

"Do you know where Vale is located?" The question caught them off guard. The odd woman stared down at them expectantly for an answer.

"Uh, it's over that way," Jaune said before Pyrrha could respond. "North, 1,500 meters to be more precise." Jaune pulled out his scroll to confirm this.

The abnormally tall woman stared at them for a few seconds, before replying, "I see. Thank you for the directions." And just like that, she trod off casually. The two team members could only watch in bafflement as she traveled through the forest, occasionally cutting down foliage with a sword equally long.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune called.

"Yes?"

"Do you think we should tell the Headmaster about this?"

"Yes."

Daylight had yet to burn out. With no particular work needing to be done, and today's assignment of clearing out Grimm handed to their teammates, one particular auburn-haired girl felt the need to drag her teammate out to Vale to get some ice cream.

"Ah, what a normally subnormal day it is, Ren!" exclaimed Nora as she chomped through her cone. Ren, sitting beside her on the bench, had no idea what that meant. So he just did what he usually did and went along with it.

"Indeed," he replied.

"Hey! You know what we should do? We should try putting potato starch in a pancake mix! I bet that would taste delicious."

"How about we don't." To Ren, that sounded anything BUT delicious. He looked off to the side, where a woman making her way through a crowd of people especially stood out.

"Oh come on! Don't be such a downer, Ren." Scratch that, she REALLY stood out. Quite literally, he might add. The woman was unusually tall, to the point where the crowd was like a sea of grass to her. "-starch would be really healthy for sloths, and- hey! Are you listening?!"

A distant rumble interrupted their respective trains of thought. They looked up to see a rectangular ship rising from behind a tall building. Their eyes followed it as it flew overhead, and towards the sea, it's engine humming in different volumes. On the side they observed the Schnee crest taking up most of the metal frame, a small exception made for the windows.

"Ooh! Look at that Ren!" Nora pointed at the large cargo ship shooting towards the shore.

"Yes, yes, I see it, Nora." It was kind of hard not to, really. Although, it was strange how these cargo airships were becoming more and more frequent. Wouldn't it be more efficient to transport dust via boat? Maybe the White Fang had something to do with it.

Ren looked towards the crowd, but the tall woman had mysteriously vanished. The crowd seemed to be equally confused, as Ren noted how a few of them darted their heads around in confusion. Where did she-?

FYOOM

One second it stood completely still, but in the very next moment, the air betrayed the forecast as it unleashed a gust of wind that caught the two of them off guard. As scoops of ice cream splashed onto the ground, Ren looked up, widening his eyes at the sight.

A massive wave of water, in the shape of a crescent moon, launched directly towards the Schnee airship. Ren wondered what such a thing could possibly do until the wave crashed into it. Except, it didn't crash at all. It sliced straight through it.

Screams could be heard around them as the proud airship split into two perfectly symmetrical pieces, the inside of the ship becoming more visible as the two halves fell away from each other.

The two pieces of the ship crashed into the sea with a huge splash, causing a huge wave to scare off the dock workers. Ren and Nora gazed in shock as the remains of the Schnee ship gradually sank into the ocean, but before it could fully submerge, a massive explosion rang out, flames engulfing the entirety of the ship. All that remained was a huge fire made minuscule by the distance between the wreckage and the shore.

"Hmph. There was excess damage around the cargo region." The two teammates turned, shocked to find the huge woman standing right beside them. She lowered her sword towards the ground. "I need to work on that technique more."


	5. 1-4 The Commanders Clash

Screams echoed across the street. Panic spread as the people watched in sheer horror. Those foolish enough abandoned their fear and recorded the incident with their scrolls. They were lucky the culprit happened to be in a good mood.

Smoothie gazed at the distant fire, with no trace of emotion passing through her smooth features. Then, all too casually she sheathed her sword and began walking away.

She bent forward to avoid getting her head bashed in from behind.

"Hm?" She observed the auburn-haired girl gracefully land in front of her. Joining her was a young man in a green outfit, his weapons an elegant set of what appeared to be SMGs; a stark contrast to his partner's hammer. If she was to remain here in Remnant it would bode well if she recalled the advanced armaments wielded by the Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Fortunately, she possessed an advanced armament of her own.

"Drop the weapon. We're taking you in." announced the boy in the green uniform.

His partner nodded in agreement. "Yeah! What he said!"

Should she even bother right now? She still had other duties to attend to at the moment. Their current ties with the White Fang were… volatile, at best. She wasn't quite sure if her brother could handle diplomacy the same way he handled his battles.

But then again, this shouldn't take too long. And besides, she was curious as to how these Huntsmen and Huntresses fought compared to those grunts and Grimm.

Wordlessly she unsheathed her sword and pointed it at her two opponents. She concentrated her Observation Haki, focusing on the presence emanated by the opposition. She licked her lips in anticipation.

"Let's go."

Nora made the first move, leaping forward with her hammer in tow. Her opponent's immense height made it troublesome to strike any higher than the legs. Guess she'd just have to settle for breaking those giraffe legs!

The mysterious woman blocked the strike with the flat of her sword. Nora followed up by jumping up and aiming a blow at her thigh, but she managed to block that too. Ren wasn't too far behind; he pointed his SMGs and unleashed two clips worth of dust rounds.

But to their combined shock, none of them landed.

"How…?" Ren could only mutter. Did she make minuscule movements with her body to dodge the rounds? But there was just no way her reaction time was that good… right?

As Nora's feet hit the ground, she changed her weapon's shape, the long handle vanishing as the head of her hammer expanded forward, revealing the barrel of a grenade launcher. The woman raised an eyebrow as she witnessed the transformation.

With several squeezes of the trigger, she launched a small volley of grenades towards the ground. They bounced towards their target, who leaped back in response. The grenades detonated, kicking up a storm of dust.

Nora turned towards her partner. "Ren! Now!"

Ren nodded. Together they fired into the cloud of dust, bullets, and bombs flying into the fray. Their combined firepower kicked up even more dust from the ground and sent bits of concrete flying everywhere. They kept firing and firing until their guns started clicking.

"That had to damage her Aura, at lea-" Ren never got to finish, as his stomach crumpled inward. He flew backwards, hitting the pavement and sliding to a stop.

"REN!" Nora turned to find that the strange woman had the hilt of her sword pointed outwards, rather than the blade. Did she-?

"I see now that there is no point in continuing this battle. The gap in strength is far too large." The tall woman eyed her dangerously. "If what I know about Aura is correct, that blow should not have done damage. Unless of course, you want to continue in this futility?"

Nora gripped her grenade even harder. She had no idea who this woman was, but she couldn't just back down.

And yet, that blow sent Ren flying. Was his Aura even still active? Could she really take that risk? If only Jaune and Pyrrha were here. They'd know what to do!

The woman's eyes remained fixed on Nora, but for a moment Nora thought she saw them flash red for a second.

"So you finally show yourself… Marco the Phoenix." Huh? Marco? Who was she talking about?

Something blue and fiery flashed into her sight, and before she could even think a flaming vortex suddenly crashed into the tall woman. She blocked the strike with her blade, but it didn't stop her from being tossed back. Actually, no, tossed didn't do it justice. She was sent flying!

Nora watched in awe as she kept flying until she smashed into a building, creating a sizable hole. Then she crashed into the building after that. And the one after that. Pretty soon a low row of holes formed an impromptu tunnel, a sight that caused several onlookers to lose hold of their jawlines.

"Oi! You alright?" a voice called out.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm-" she stopped when she realized it wasn't her the voice was referring to. Nora turned to her left to find a man in a purple jacket crouching beside her partner. She took special notice of how the back of his head looked like a pineapple when she looked at it from a certain angle.

But more importantly, what was he doing to her partner? And why were his hands flaming like that?

Out of concern, she ran towards them, unsure of who this 'Marco' person was. Was that fire hurting Ren? Actually, no, it didn't seem as though it was hurting him. What was that flame? Was that his Semblance?

Ren sat upwards and felt the area where the woman struck him. "You healed me?"

"Yup. Just try not to move too much. My Flame of Resurrection has a limited effect on other people." The pineapple-man grinned in reassurance.

"Flame of Resurrection? Your Semblance I presume?" inferred Ren.

The mysterious man pursed his lips. "Yeah, I guess we could go with that for now. Name's Marco by the way. Could you two do me a favor and- whoops."

A blue flame engulfed the both of them, and before they knew it something firm wrapped their torsos. When Nora's vision cleared, she looked to see another crescent wave of water crash directly where the three of them were just standing. The discharge decimated the concrete, making her doubt that they would have survived it.

What shocked her even more, however, was that when she looked up at their savior, she stared straight into the eyes of a giant bird seemingly made of fire, and the two of them were nestled safely in its talons.

"Whoa! Where'd the pineapple guy go?" Nora looked around but to no avail.

"I'm not a pineapple! Why does everyone keep saying that?!" It took her a second to realize the retort came from her carrier.

"Wait, that's you?!" exclaimed Nora. "What kind of Semblance do you have?!" The bird didn't respond, and instead, it quickly deposited them on top of a building. They both got to their first, with Ren's expression more curious than ever.

"Who exactly are you?" he wondered out loud. "I've never seen such a Semblance." Marco's flames dissipated, allowing him to take the form of a human once more. But even then those mysterious blue flames danced around him.

"Kind of a long story, really. Uh, what was I saying before?" Marco scratched his head in contemplation.

"Um, you wanted us to do something?" clarified Ren.

"...Oh yeah! You two are huntspeople, right?" They nodded simultaneously. "I need you two to help to evacuate the citizens. It might get a little rough around here."

"Evacuation? But what about you?" Nora wasn't willing to just back down. Besides, she needed to break that woman's legs for what she did to Ren!

"Don't get involved. She's a lot more powerful than you think. Can you handle evac while I do my thing?" Nora raised a hand to protest, but Ren clasped her shoulder before she could do that.

"If it's going to be that bad, then we'll handle the evacuation." Ren nodded firmly. Marco smiled at his quick thinking, before taking off in a swirl of blue flames. The two of them watched in awe as he flapped his mighty wings before diving towards the ground with impossible speed.

Nora ran towards the edge and cupped her hands towards her mouth. "Break her legs for me!"


	6. 1-5 The Bridge Between Worlds

A wave of the sword decapitated countless buildings. The mighty talons launched forward, blasting a hole through the ground. The two commanders battled it out, appearing in one area to clash, only to immediately disappear into another place.

Sparks flew as their Haki clashed. Dust erupted from the ground every time one of them attacked the other. It was a feat achieved not by Huntresses nor Huntsmen, but warriors from a distant sea.

Something a certain team had yet to understand.

Ruby thought it was going to be another boring day, especially with a history test coming up. But as she stared at the news broadcast disclosing the massive battle taking place in Vale, this was all she had to think of the situation:

"What the heck is going on?!" Ruby exclaimed in a mix of terror and excitement. All around the cafeteria students mumbled and whispered to each other as they witnessed the event that was unfolding onscreen.

Yang looked at Ruby with tribulation. "No idea sis. Who was that pineapple guy? You think he's part of the White Fang or something?"

"I don't think so," added Blake. "I've never seen a Semblance capable of that much destruction."

"I just hope Ren and Nora are fine. I heard they were heading downtown to relax." A look of uncertainty crossed Weiss' features. Her teammates nodded in agreement. "It doesn't seem as though the Vytal Festival's gonna last at this rate, either. It's a shame, too. Ironwood really pulled out all the stops for this year's security."

Nothing was said after that, and the team continued watching the broadcast in relative silence. Ruby could only hope that this incident would resolve with no casualties.

Qrow, Glynda, Ironwood, and Ozpin all stared at the screen with mixed expressions. Qrow alternated between entertaining his shock and gulping down his flask. Glynda and Ironwood looked equally shocked at the ensuing destruction, while Ozpin observed the scene while sipping from his mug.

"Ozpin!" Glynda slammed her hands on his desk. "That man you so casually invited into the tower is currently laying waste to half of Vale! I'm not even sure if that's an exaggeration! And that woman! She… she…"

Ozpin raised a hand. "Relax. Undue stress will prevent us from thinking through this rationally." Although, Glynda looked anything but relaxed.

"Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing!" As if to prove Ironwood's point, another building crumbled to the ground. "...That does it. I need to make a few calls." And with that, Ironwood swiftly made his way to the elevator, his face disappearing behind the sliding doors.

No one bothered stopping him.

"Well, this has been an interesting turn of events." Qrow took another swig and wiped the dribble off his lip. He gazed at Ozpin and inhaled. "I'm just gonna assume from the way you're processing all this that you have some kind of plan."

"Nope. None at all." Ozpin sipped from his mug, only to be disappointed when he found it was empty. Glynda whacked her forehead against his desk.

"Why do I even bother?" Qrow, for the life of him, could not answer that question. "Can I at least ask why?"

"With the presence of the Yonko commanders, something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. But I have faith my friend will be able to handle things."

"You mean bird-boy?" Qrow snarked.

"Pineapple would probably be a more fitting name." he replied. Qrow snorted, accidentally shooting alcohol from his nose. He pretended he didn't notice the alcohol stain on Ozpin's desk.

"Ozpin? Making a joke? The end times really are coming." And no alcohol could prepare him for that. The part with Ozpin actually having a sense of humor, that was.

Meanwhile, Glynda kept slamming her head against the desk.

Smoothie bent to the side and swung her leg forward, striking Marco's Haki-infused leg. After three more strikes, Marco flew backwards and came back in his full phoenix form. Smoothie raised an arm to block the incoming talon, applying Armament just a few seconds late.

Smoothie raised her other leg and kicked Marco in the stomach, sending him crashing into another building. As the upper half tumbled down, Smoothie gripped her arm in pain. Three bleeding dots, four if she counted the one behind her arm.

Smoothie launched another wave of water from her sword as Marco leaped from the hole in the building. He performed a barrel roll, avoiding getting bisected and instead sacrificing part of his wing.

Not that it mattered. In seconds the blue flames enveloped him, repairing the damage both to his stomach and his wing.

The former Whitebeard commander left his phoenix form and landed a few feet from Smoothie. For the next few seconds, they simply stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the next move.

"Tch. Your ability is as annoying as they say." Smoothie seemed irritated, but not angry.

"Guess I'll take that as a compliment." Marco grinned.

"Tell me, Marco the Phoenix. What are Whitebeard's ties to this place?" Marco's grin vanished, exchanged for something more sinister. "Our crew discovered the Shattered Mist not too long ago. What is this place to you?"

Marco remained silent. But it wasn't long before his grin returned. "If you're really interested, then find out for yourself."

"Eager to finish this battle? I wouldn't expect anything less of a Whitebeard commander!"

The two charged at each other, with flaming wings and blackened swords. Marco's heel met Smoothie's sword in an unruly clash, with sparks flying from their colliding Haki. Then, in a burst of speed, they vanished.

"This way, people! Don't' shove one another or I'll break your legs!" Nora guided the panicked crowds down the street, with Ren doing the same.

"What she said. No shoving, just keep going." added Ren.

It was currently a mess at a moment. That Marco person wasn't kidding when he said it was gonna get rough. Even here, miles away from the battle, they could see massive clouds of dust being kicked up. If they listened closely they could hear buildings crumbling as well. In spite of this, they did their best to evacuate the citizens from the ongoing battle.

"Ren! Nora!" The latter turned to find Pyrrha and Jaune running towards them, worse for wear. Dirt stained their clothes, and they looked as though they were going to faint from fatigue.

"Guys! Are you okay" Nora caught Jaune in her arms before he could collapse. "How'd you guys get here? I thought you were on a mission!"

"We were!" Pyrrha shouted through the crowd. "But we saw the smoke so we quickly came back! What's going on?!"

"There's this guy who looks like a pineapple! And-And he's fighting this woman with giraffe legs!"

"...What?" Jaune and Pyrrha said in unison.

"We'll explain later." Ren intervened. "Just help us with evac. We'll head somewhere safer once we're done."

"Alright. Good plan. Pyrrha!"

"Coming!" They began directing the crowds, regardless of their fatigue. Whatever was going on, they could only hope that it would all blow over soon.


	7. 1-6 Rising Storm

"Flaming Talon!"

Marco threw his talons forwards, deflected with a swift swing from Smoothie.

"Thundering Beak!"

Marco surged forward, his beak colliding with Smoothie's Haki-infused blade.

"Pale Flame of Transmigration!"

Marco spiraled around Smoothie, gathering a gust strong enough to toss her into the air. Smoothie looked up to find Marco diving at her straight from the sky, an attack she just barely deflected by imbuing her leg with Haki.

Their attacks sent shockwaves erupting across the street, shattering windows and emptying stalls. Dust clouds riddled the area, creating a nightmarish scene for street cleaners alike.

"You made up those attacks just now." Smoothie accused.

"Maybe. Who knows." Marco appeared nonchalant about it. "Don't lie to me and say your crew doesn't do that."

"...Touche." She knew one sibling who was more guilty than the rest. "Are we finishing this fight or what?"

Marco obliged and rushed at her with his talons outstretched. Smoothie charged as a black form overtook her sword. Two inches before they collided, they heard a strange whistling noise above them.

Marco pulled back and shielded himself with his wings as a barrage of missiles rained down upon them, wincing slightly as they exploded against his body. He forced his eyes shut at the sheer amount of dust kicked up from the onslaught. He felt flames dance across his body, already repairing the damage.

"Cease and desist, or we will open fire!" a voice echoed from above. Marco ignored the voice, and instead flared his Observation Haki in search for his opponent. Nothing. She must have legged it when they fired, ironic for someone of her stature.

Guess there was nothing else to do here.

With another flap of his wings, he dove through the streets, using the dust clouds and buildings as cover. By the time they had all dissipated, Marco the Phoenix was long gone.

"Downtown Vale is currently in shambles, however, it seems for the most part that the destruction has come to a stop. The two combatants have vanished from the scene, although footage has been caught of the blue phoenix fleeing. If anything, it's proof that the rumors of a phoenix combating Grimm across the region are all true. Currently, workers are trying their best to put an ease to the panic, and clean up what's left of-" The transmission cut short, leaving Ozpin and his cohorts with the Council of Vale.

"You realize what this means, correct?" a stern voice echoed from the Council's numerous shadows.

Ozpin cleared his throat. "I do not, I'm afraid. Please elaborate, if you would."

"This is the second time Vale's defenses have been breached. The people are in a panic, and the Schnee Corporation is condemning Vale for failing to protect one of their largest cargo ships! We have tried to save face by having Ironwood bolster the defenses for the Vytal Festival, but it would appear that would be in vain." Ironwood looked at the floor briefly, before regaining his posture. No doubt his pride had taken a blow as well. "There is little data on these two culprits, but it is clear that the power they have displayed is far beyond that of regular huntsmen."

"Forgive me for asking, but what is it you're suggesting?" A hint of concern laced his tone.

"This is the first time a human has conveyed such power. How this woman attained such power is currently unknown, but we believe it's best to identify that source. The first step is to capture and interrogate her." another Council member explained.

Ozpin's grip on his cane tightened. He was afraid something like this might happen.

"And the phoenix?" he asked.

"Atlas' military forces have shown great interest in capturing it and studying it. Its origin is clearly different from the Grimm. For now, Ironwood will be leading the front on that operation."

Ironwood's eyes widened. "Sir, with all due respect I-"

"Ironwood." His voice turned cold. "We have entrusted you with the security for the Vytal Festival, but that was clearly a mistake on our part. If you want to save face, we suggest you proceed in this operation without notice. You will be receiving instructions on how to proceed shortly." Ironwood didn't say anything. Instead, he just nodded.

"Is there anything else you would like to add?" asked Ozpin. This situation was certainly precarious, but not unfixable.

"No. That is all. Do stay updated on the media coverage, however, the entirety of Vale is already in an uproar regarding this incident." And with that, the transmission ended.

A few seconds later, the elevator door opened, revealing a relaxed Marco.

"Yo, Ozpin." He strolled in with head resting on his palms. He stopped when he noticed the looks his friends were giving him. "Did I miss something?"

"Aside from the fact that you're a wanted man- bird rather, you didn't really miss much." Qrow took perhaps the umpteenth swig from his flask. Marco wracked his head, but recognizations soon took form.

"Oh hey, aren't you that guy who was eavesdropping on our conversation?" he pointed out.

Qrow froze mid-drink. "Well, guess you're sharper than you look. For a pineapple."

Marco's vein throbbed. He angrily stomped towards the offender. "I'm not a fucking pineapple you piece of-"

"Ahem." They both turned towards Glynda. Qrow was struggling to hold in his laughter, while Marco's face was still stuck in a scowl.

They both, however, took a step back when she whacked her riding crop against her palm.

"Let this be known. The Vale Council is currently in a state of agitation. Downtown Vale is in shambles. We could be looking at the doorsteps of large-scale anarchy. All of this could have been avoided if you. Acted. More. Subtle." With each word she whacked her palm just a bit harder, to the point where it was turning red. Marco bent back as she leaned in towards his face.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Sheesh," he replied nonchalantly.

"Tch." Glynda strolled back towards Ozpin's desk. "If there are more of these characters who seek to cause destruction across Vale, I suggest you get your act together, Mr. Phoenix. It seems you are the only one among us capable of standing up to them."

"Who was that Smoothie gal anyway?" Qrow recalled the name from his conversation with Oz. "She's got legs for days. Not bad on the eyes either."

"She is a Yonko commander." It was Ozpin was elaborated, surprisingly enough. "A few have arrived recently, though they've remained inactive. Until now, that is."

"You seem to be quite knowledgeable on these Yonko commanders, Oz. Who are the Yonko, exactly?" inquired a stern Ironwood.

"Pirates. But not any pirates." Ozpin left his seat and walked parallel to the sea. "They are pirates loyal only to the ones who rule the distant sea like kings."

"I'm guessing you're talking about the Grand Line?" Ironwood and Glynda looked at him. "Hey, it's my job to be in the know. So if pineapple-head here is just as strong as them, what does that make him?" Ozpin rested his mug on his coaster while Marco imagined strangling Qrow.

"Also a Yonko Commander. Or, formerly, rather. It's not something to delve too deeply into." he stated. Marco eyed him gratefully. It seemed the two of them were still taking Newgate's passing hard, though in Ozpin's case he was a lot better at hiding it.

That didn't mean it wasn't painful though.

"You mean this man is a pirate!?" Ironwood's expression suddenly turned hostile.

"Yup." Marco didn't even seem remotely bothered by the accusation.

Ironwood clenched his fist. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't detain you right now."

"You can try if you want. But right now I'm hungry. Hey Oz, you still got those cream tarts? I haven't had those in years." Just thinking about them made his mouth water.

"There's probably a bunch in the kitchen. If you're fast enough you can probably get a few." Upon hearing this Marco made a mad dash towards the window and crashed straight through it, before transforming his arms into wings.

"Thanks Oz! I'll be back really fast, I promise!" Marco's voice faded, leaving them all except Ozpin to stare in shock, having just witnessed a grown man break a massive, 300,000 lien viewing glass for cream tarts.

"And they say I'm immature." Qrow slyly commented. Ironwood pinched the bridge of his nose to suppress the growing migraine drilling his head.

"If he were a student I'd give him more than a slap on the wrist, knowing he can regenerate." Glynda waved her riding crop, easily repairing the damage. Though this was substantially harder with her pounding headache. "Is this really the man who swore to protect Remnant from the Grand Line?"

"Indeed he is. Know this, he may call himself a pirate but he is far from heartless. I know he will fulfill his role as a defender."

"Oz, I don't know if you've realized this, but he took part in wiping out almost all of downtown Vale." Qrow rested his flask in front of Ozpin's mug with a resounding thud. "Even if there were no casualties, do you really think Vale can handle that kind of damage?"

"No," was his response. Qrow forgot how bluntly straightforward he could be sometimes.

"Look, the main threat right now is this Yonko. I still have no idea who that is, by the way. But we need to assess the situation if we're going to fight back. We've already got Salem to think about, you really think we can juggle this?"

"Qrow has a point, surprisingly enough," Glynda said snidely. "Marco will bolster our forces, but he can't be everywhere at once. At some point, he will have to aid in our battle against Salem. Which is why I don't appreciate how lax he is."

"It's true that I will have to inform him of Salem at some point. But don't mistake his relaxed demeanor as inconsideration." Ozpin looked outside the newly repaired window. "It is his confident and boisterous attitude that will not only suppress the Grimm but also keep his head cleat when facing his enemies. The Grimm are attracted to negativity, after all. If anything, a bit of optimism will go a long way in our battle against them."

Glynda let out a small huff. As sagely as his advice was, she couldn't help but be wary of all this. The Four Maidens were supposed to be the most powerful forces on Remnant. And now he claims that he has longtime friends capable of decimating entire districts?

"By the way, you might want to open the window," suggested Ozpin.

"Huh? Why is that?" Glynda got her answer when the window shattered again, as Marco flew inside with a bunch of cream tarts stuffed in his hands and mouth.

"Vooph. Pharry 'vout phat. (Whoops. Sorry 'bout that.)" Marco swallowed the cream tarts, most oblivious to the expressions pointed at him, Glynda's in particular.

Glynda's grip on her riding crop tightened even more. Her headache went from splitting to fracturing, something that greatly worried Ironwood and Qrow. Marco seemed to notice this only after he finished most of the cream tarts.

"No, no! Please. AHHHHHHH!" But his screams went unheard, as his body twisted and contorted in her hands. A pink liquid dripped from his squeezed body and collected in two glasses. She dropped the defecting White Fang member's body to the ground, his body shriveled up.

Smoothie picked up the glass and drank. "Would you like a drink?"

Torchwick stared at the glass in disgust. "Yeah, I think I'll pass."

Neo seemed to have no qualms with it, however, and downed the entire glass in one gulp. Torchwick tried not to retch in disgust.

Smoothie took another sip of her drink. "You can stop lurking, Adam. I assume you are here to make your payment?"

Adam appeared from the shadow of a large dust crate, with two underlings in two. In their hands was a large container, which they rested at Smoothie's feet. Rather than let her bend down, they opened it themselves. They tried to ignore the shriveled corpse lying near them.

Smoothie eyed the contents with a satisfied expression. "Yes, this will do nicely. It seems a business arrangement with the White Fang will indeed be lucrative for us."

"Uh, hello? World class criminal here?" Torchwick waved his hands around to sap some of the attention. "I hate to get left out, but there's still something that needs dealing with."

"I assume you are referring to your arrangement with Cinder?" Smoothie replied smoothly.

"Yeah, that. She's still in the dark about our little… agreement, but I doubt that'll be the case once she gets wind of your little stunt in Vale." he replied bitterly. "Such a waste of Dust. Who will steal it now, now that it's at the bottom of the sea?"

"Quiet." Adam scowled. "It's important that the Schnee Company's trade is crippled. They've never taken hits this big. Which means they'll have to react."

"Which can also be a bad thing for your organization. The Schnee Company will want to divert more resources to destroying the White Fang." Smoothie lowered her glass. "Shall I continue to offer my support?"

"That would be appreciated. The White Fang will continue to supply you in return." Adam replied. He was skeptical at first, but the so-called Smoothie had been extremely straightforward in her offer. As long as payments were made, she would take out major targets, specifically those of the Schnee Corporation. It was scary how easily she destroyed entire cargo ships with just one swing, yet she made it clear she was working for someone. Who could be so powerful as to command someone like her?

He would've been against the idea of working with a human, but he wasn't even sure she was human, the way she easily towered over them. And her power… it was disturbing, to say the least. But he couldn't say it was a Semblance or even tied to it.

Still, they made so much leeway in their goals thanks to their agreement, miles further than what that Cinder woman offered. He'd have to deal with that at some point, but not now.

"By the way, who was that bird-guy?" Torchwick wondered. "Is he someone you know?"

"Unfortunately, yes. It seems we will have unexpected opposition." Smoothie frowned. "If I am to further my goals…"

" **Your next line is: 'I will have to speed things along'."**

"I will have to speed things alo-" She froze, before inhaling sharply. "I hate it when you do that."

"Huh? Holy shit!" Torchwick and the others just noticed the massive man who seemingly teleported next to them. They thought there couldn't be anyone taller than their newest associate, but they were clearly wrong.

At first, they could only take note of his biker pants and cowboy boots due to his immense height. Looking up, they took in his menacing demeanor, covered mostly with a silver scarf. In his hands, he held a trident almost as tall as he was, and his jacket exposed the pink stripes on his abs, a tattoo that matched the color of his hair.

And his eyes. They glowed red.

"You want to know why I'm here," he said. "You know I was planning on coming here eventually, Sister Smoothie. Especially with the breakthroughs we've made."

"Straight to the point as usual." She sighed. It was difficult holding a conversation with someone who could see the future. "The operation is going along smoothly, brother. Assistance is appreciated but unnecessary."

"You two are related?!" exclaimed Torchwick, but he calmed down after a second of thought. "Actually, that kind of makes sense now that I think about it. You both have giraffe legs."

The man pointed at Adam. **"Next you will say: 'And it would certainly be appreciated if you didn't come unannounced'."**

"And it would certainly be appreci- what?!" Adam lurched back. He wanted answers, but the man turned towards his sister.

"I appreciate your efficacy, but it is not why I came here. Our network has found something of great importance in the Schnee household, and I have been tasked to retrieve it." Smoothie raised an eyebrow at this. It would have to be important if they would send someone like him to retrieve it. But what could be hiding inside the Schnee household?

"I'm not directly affiliated with the White Fang, not yet at least. I don't think infiltration is an option at the moment." she elaborated.

"Then it's a good thing I don't plan on infiltrating it." His response was clear and simple. Smoothie let out another sigh. She was afraid he would say something like that.

"Wait, what are you gonna do, exactly?" asked Torchwick, but instead the man… liquified? It got even more bizarre when the white substance reformed into a circular formation and disappeared into the hallway.

Adam blinked. "Did… he just turn into a donut and roll away?"


	8. 1-7 Clear Skies

A few hours had passed since the incident occurred. Due to the ensuing panic, Team JNPR had a difficult time getting a bullhead ride to Beacon, and there was an unexpected delay. Thankfully, they managed to snag a ride after only an hour of waiting.

"Huff… huff…" Five seconds after leaving the bullhead, Jaune collapsed on the ground in a heap of sweat. "Ugh, what a day. Sleep… I need sleep."

"It is getting pretty late." agreed Ren. If he was fatigued in any way, he did a good job of not showing it. "I wonder where Marco is right now?"

"Yeah, I hope he's doing alright." Even Nora's bubbliness had died down ever since the battle had come to a close.

Pyrrha tilted her head in curiosity. "Marco? Is he a friend of yours?"

And just like that, Nora's energy returned to her tenfold. "Oh yeah, we haven't told you about Marco! He's really cool, he can turn into a huge bird and he hasn't skipped leg day!"

"Um… okay?" Pyrrha nodded dumbly.

"Er, what else was there? Oh yeah! He looks like a pineapple!" Nora folded her hands above her head, imitating pineapple leaves.

"Oi oi, I've only been here for a day. Don't go spreading around that kind of stuff." a grumpy voice called out. The team turned left to find an irritated man munching on something.

"MARCO!" Nora was first to run over and hug her new friend, immediately washing away his ire. "My lost long buddy! You've returned from your travels!"

"...We've known each other for five hours." was Marco's response. He grinned at her nonetheless. "Thanks for handling evac. I needed space to fight."

"Oh, this must be Marco you were talking about!" Marco looked up to see a redhead dressed in golden armor. Following her was that green dude, along with a blond guy who looked like he could really use some shut-eye. "Pardon me for asking, but how did you get here so quickly?"

"Oh yeah, this is my team, JNPR!" Nora introduced them with a wave of her hand. "That's Jaune, our team leader, and Pyrrha, the cool girl. Ren, you met down in Vale, and I'm Nora! I like to break people's legs!"

Marco chuckled. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Marco. A lot of people know me as Marco the Phoenix, but you can just call me Marco."

"Marco the Phoenix? Oh yeah, because you can turn into that huge blue bird, right?" Nora flapped her arms like a bird.

"Huge blue bird?" Pyrrha wondered out loud. Her eyes widened in recognition. "Wait… are you referring to the same bird spotted at the harbor and at those village outposts?"

"Yup, that's me." Marco proved this by transforming his right arm into a massive blue wing, one that swirled with flames. He changed it back and continued munching on his snack.

"Whoa…" remarked Jaune.

"So… you have the power to transform your entire body?" Pyrrha wondered with amazement. "That's… incredible. I've never seen such a Semblance."

"Yeah, it's so cool right?!" Nora practically squealed. Her smile dropped when she realized just what it was that Marco was eating. "Hey! Those are cream tarts!" She pointed.

Marco looked down at his treat, then continued munching with no regard. "Yeah, what about them?"

"The cafeteria only makes so many of those! How many have you eaten?!" she fumed. Marco scratched the back of his head. Wordlessly he transformed into a phoenix and fled. "HEY! Come back here you! Come on Ren, after him!"

"Mm-hmm," he mumbled, before heading to his dorm to get some sleep.

Pyrrha blinked at the odd sight. "Uh, should we be concerned about this?"

"Honestly? I think it's better not to question it at this point. Dunno about you, but I'm gonna go ahead and get some sleep." And with that, Jaune headed towards their dorm with Ren. Pyrrha gave the impromptu game of tag between Marco and Nora, with Marco clearly having the upper hand. She giggled before catching up with Jaune.

No point interrupting their fun.

Glynda was not in a good mood.

Not because no one would fess up to the huge mess in the hallway, or because someone impaled a wall with their weapon and didn't bother taking it out. No, she was agitated because Beacon, one of Remnant's most prestigious huntsman academies, was now currently harboring a wanted man-bird hybrid. And Ozpin made it clear that until he cleared up things with the Council, he was to stay here.

That was a day ago. And it was still bothering her tirelessly.

But classes would begin shortly. She would need to prepare today's combat class for the afternoon. When she made her way into the arena, she was quite surprised to find their resident phoenix sitting there casually.

"Hey Glynda." he greeted without turning around.

Glynda blinked. How did he know she was there? "I would like to say the feeling's mutual but- what are you eating?!"

Marco turned around, revealing a bagel lodged in his mouth. "The cafeteria lady's really nice. I need to pay her back sometime."

Glynd's eyebrow twitched. Just brilliant. On top of housing a wanted man, he was now freeloading the school's resources with little regard or remorse.

"Might I ask why you're here?" she asked with gnashing teeth.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Just wanted to see how this place was doing, after so long." His eyes drifted toward the ceiling.

'After so long?' Actually, Ozpin did hint that he had some history with this man. But how come he never told her until now?

"What exactly is your history with Ozpin, anyway?" she asked out of sheer curiosity. "Why was I never told about you?"

"Don't pin it on him if he felt the need to keep it a secret. He trusted us to keep this world safe from the Grand Line. I don't intend to back down on that promise." His countenance suddenly turned grim, not something she expected from someone with his personality. "The Grand Line's a dangerous place, with dangerous people. And now some of those people know about this place."

Her mind drifted to the events of yesterday. "I assume you're referring to that woman?"

"Yeah. Something like that." He nodded. "But from what I know, this world's got its problems too."

Glynda froze. "The Grimm?"

"Salem." Glynda furrowed her eyebrows. Just how much did this man know? "All of it. Ozpin was pretty… straightforward about it."

"Don't talk about such things so lightly. Ozpin might trust you, but I cannot say the same," she warned.

"That's fine." He leaned on his arm. "I didn't come here to talk about this stuff anyway. I actually wanted to do some stuff with my Semblance."

That got her attention. "Your Aura's unlocked?"

"Yeah. I've got Ozpin to thank for that. It's a bit weird how it meshes with Armament Haki, though. So I tend to just use it as fuel for my Semblance." Marco clutched his fingers. For a moment she thought they turned black.

"What exactly is your Semblance, anyway?" It clearly wasn't his ability to transform; that appeared to be something else entirely, the way he used it so easily. Glynda leaned forward in curiosity. Marco grinned and stood up.

"How about I show you?"

"...Is that a challenge, Marco the Phoenix?" The atmosphere turned intense. Marco grinned at a stern Glynda, blue flames swirling around his arms.

"Depends. Who's asking?" His grin never left his face.

"...Very well then, I accept your challenge." Glynda positioned herself at one side of the arena, and Marco the other. With a flick of her crop, the screens ignited, displaying their respective Aura levels. The atmosphere turned fragile as glass, the way they gazed at each other.

"Begin." Glynda followed her own statement immediately by waving her riding crop, summoning a miniature thunderstorm through the use of her Semblance. Immediately the arena was barraged with shards of ice, the only exception being where Glynda stood.

To her surprise, Marco weaved through the volley with expert precision. His movements were slight, but enough to evade the shards. If anything, she praised his reaction time. But would it be enough?

She pointed her crop downwards and flicked up, causing a chunk of the arena to hover. Another flick and she sent it hurtling towards Marco. He leaped over it gracefully, yet miraculously he somehow dodged the hail of ice midair.

The thunderstorm disappeared right as he landed. The chunk shattered among crashing into the ground, giving her the perfect opportunity. She lifted the fragments of stone and crushed them together to make an impromptu spear. She hurdled it towards Marco's back, yet to her surprise, he didn't move. Until the very last second, that was.

He swung around in an instant, smashing his foot into the very tip of the spear. It shattered into several pieces, only to reform into three smaller spears. Marco flipped backwards to avoid getting skewered from above.

His leg strength was certainly impressive. In fact, it was more than enough to make up for his lack of a weapon. But why hadn't he attacked her yet? Was he not taking her seriously? The thought made her scowl.

She launched several energy missiles towards Marco, grimacing as he dodged every one of them. The ground beneath Marco rumbled, and he reacted just in time to avoid the pillar of stone that erupted beneath him. He grinned cockily until he felt something sharp pierce his side.

Only then did he notice the stone spear from earlier. It was lodged in the ground, but he didn't account for the fact that she might use it again.

Glynda suppressed a small smirk, only to watch in curiosity as blue flames burst forth to heal the wound. It was strange. If his Aura had been unlocked, why didn't he use it to avoid that attack?

"Good one. Guess that's all for now."

Glynda blinked. "Huh?" What did he mean that was all for now?

"I wasn't taking you lightly if that's what you're wondering. But I needed to fight without my powers to see if my Semblance would hold up. Guess my Aura ran out the end. Unlucky, but not unexpected."

"Your Semblance? But you didn't use it once!" Yet when she looked up, Marco's Aura indeed had been depleted. How was that possible?

"Well, anyways, I'll catch you later. Good luck teaching those kids." Then Marco transformed and flew off like it was nothing. Glynda readjusted her glasses, watching him disappear into the hallway.

Just what exactly was his Semblance?


End file.
